子供の日 • kodomo no hi (Children’s Day) 2015

SJG • 5/31/15 - sumi-e painting

The Sixth Month

六月

六月や峯に雲置くあらし山

rokugatsu ya mine ni kumo oku arashiyama

sixth month—

clouds resting on the peaks

of Arashiyama

-Basho.  From:  Bonsai, PIE Books, Tokyo, 2011, 

translated by Emiko Miyashita and Michael Dylan Welch

SJG • 5/31/15 - aikido demonstration

by aleks

Another wonderful children's day in Seattle Japanese Garden, and this year we had several new activities: youth aikido demonstration (with audience volunteer participation),  Iaido sword demonstration, haiku workshops for children,  show-and-tell presentation of a day in the life of a child in Japan and sumi-e water color painting.

SJG • 5/31/15 - miniature zen gardens

Previous year shows and activities were met with usual enthusiasm: Kaze Daiko drum performance, origami workshops, puppet show, koi feeding, building miniature zen gardens, scavenger hunt and koinobori (carp streamer) making. 

SJG • 5/31/15 -  origami workshop

For grown-up children we had two garden tours, and frankly some of the adults seemed jealous of being excluded from certain hands-on activities:  I saw several grown-ups at the origami and zen garden tables folding paper and raking sand on the sly, while small kid's attention went to puppet, aikido or sword shows and had one adult man asking me where the pagoda is - he was enjoying a scavenger hunt, I'm sure to 'help' his kid :) (which was nowhere to be seen around)...

SJG • 5/31/15 - Iaido sword demonstration

SJG • 5/31/15 - while haiku master is away giving workshop at the meadow, Thomas and Sarah mind the haiku station

SJG • 5/31/15 - koinobori making

SJG • 5/31/15 - koi feeding